Sand control is needed for unconsolidated oil bearing sands. Unconsolidated sands have little mechanical competency. Many of these formations contain heavy oil with the sand literally floating therein. Typical ones are the Alberta Oil (Tar Sands) of Athabasca, Wabsicaw, Peace River, Cold Lake and Frog Lake. It is impossible to gravel pack in a conventional manner and maintain the gravel in place due to the formation being unable to hold the gravel in place. The control of heavy oil or tar sands or sand suspended in oil or where tar is the matrix is difficult as the conventional sand control and production methods are not adequate and effective. In tar sands, the sand becomes unconsolidated after the oil or tar is removed. The formation is consolidated oil or bitumen until the oil or bitumen is produced. The problem in tar sands is the undesirable production of sand with the oil or bitumen which is detrimental to most equipment, and particularly to the pumps.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,247 circulates hot fluids between lower and upper perforations in a tar sand formation, but it also produces sand with the melted bitumen which is detrimental to most mechanical equipment above, as the hydraulic pumps, etc. Assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,671 discloses circulating an aqueous heating fluid with sodium hydroxide out upper perforations and in lower perforations after packing through a sand pack. But this disclosure lacks the steps of pouring a cone of graded gravel for building a conical shaped gravel pack and running a screen on the lower end of a production tube down through the apex of the cone to bury the screen in the gravel pack for providing an improved method of sand control and production of bitumen. U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,245 likewise lacks the screen and gravel pack therewith for providing the disclosed improved method for hydrocarbon production in tar sands. U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,351 discloses a pile of granular material around a slotted tube in a cavity, but the granular material fills the cavity completely with no cone for penetration by a screen. U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,913 shows a different method of formation consolidation wherein a bonding agent is applied to the formation.